How to apply for a place

If you are considering applying for admission to Shenley Academy please contact us to visit the academy.

Shenley Academy is a comprehensive entry 11-18 mixed academy. We offer 205 places in Year 7 each year. Applications for admission must be made on the Birmingham City Council Common Application Form, or online: click here for online applications

Applications for September 2019 must be received by the 31st October 2018. The council will send parents/carers letters / emails telling them the outcome of their applications on 1 March 2019.

Where fewer than 205 students apply for places, all those who apply will be offered places. Where more than 205 students apply places will be allocated in accordance with the criteria and in the order set out below:

1. Looked after children (in public care); who will be guaranteed a place at their nearest co-educational community schools if it is not possible to meet any of their parents/carers’ preferences. This includes any child/young person who is subject to a Full Care Order, an Interim Care Order, accommodated under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989, is remanded or detained into Local Authority accommodation under Criminal Law or who has been placed for adoption.

2. Children (siblings) with an older brother or sister attending the academy and will be in attendance at the time the sibling enters the academy. Siblings (brothers or sisters) are considered to be those children who live at the same address and either:

i. Have one or both natural parents in common, or

ii. Are related by a parents’ marriage, or

iii. Are adopted or fostered by a common parent

3. Children who live nearest the academy

Within each of these categories, priority is given to those who live nearest the academy, by straight line measurement to one fixed point in the school.

Admissions Process – In Year Admissions

All in year admissions must be made directly to the academy using the in year application form.

In year admissions include any admissions made after the normal year 7 intake in September and all applications for Years 8-11. The over subscriptions criteria for in-year admissions are the same as those for new-intake admissions. Students who cannot be admitted at the time of application will be allocated a place on the academy’s waiting list in line with these criteria.

Appeals

Reports on the television or in newspapers often give the impression that parents have the right to choose which school or academy their child goes to and it is true that you can apply for any state school or academy that you want. However, the law does not guarantee your child a place at the academy of your choice. What the law does say is that you must be offered a place at your preferred academy unless admitting your child would prejudice (have a negative effect on) the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources at that academy.

The body that makes the decision whether or not it is able to admit your child is called the Admission Authority. In the case of Shenley Academy, it is School Admissions and Pupil Placement Service of Birmingham City Council. Each academy has a published admission number for each year group. This is the number of places that the Admission Authority should offer and is based on the number of children the academy has space for. Shenley Academy has a published admission number of 205 places.

At Shenley Academy, as with most schools and academies, most of the parents who are refused a place at their preferred academy are refused that place because the Admission Authority received more applications than it has places or all the places at the academy were already full when the application was received. There may be other occasions when in the view of the Governing Body, admitting your child would prejudice (have a negative effect on) the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources at the academy.

If you have been told that your child cannot go to Shenley Academy then the law gives you the right to appeal against that decision. If your appeal is successful then your child must be offered a place. However, if your appeal is unsuccessful then there is no further right of appeal.

For details of how to appeal please read the Shenley Academy Admissions and Appeals Policy below:

Admissions and Appeals 2018 – Key Dates

Recommended deadline for the submission of applications. Online applications may be submitted up to 31st October 2017

1st March 2019:

Notification of secondary places for September 2018 admissions via e-mail. Notification letters sent by first class post.

15th March 2019:

Deadline for return of acceptance

29th March 2019:

Deadline for lodging an appeal

7th June 2019:

Date by which all appeals will have been heard

Shenley Academy operates a Sixth Form for a total of 250 students. 140 places overall will be available for Year 12 (the year 12 ‘capacity’) for its own students progressing from Year 11. It will not admit external applicants unless undersubscribed by its own students.